“What are we going to do with them?” Lisa opened her window further. “After the vet, I mean. Can we bring them to your parents?”
Stella shrugged. “Sure, they won’t mind. We can decide what to do when we’re there. Maybe one of my parents’ friends might want to adopt them, or someone in Altea, or one of my colleagues. If everything else fails, we could take them to a shelter.” She bit her lip as she glanced at Lisa, who gave her a subtle nod.
“Yes. Let’s just make sure they’re healthy and fed first and go from there.”
Stella typed in an address on her satnav. “Okay. They’ll need flea treatment, worming tablets and jabs if they’re old enough. I hope the vet sells puppy food as I’m not sure their stomachs will be able to handle real food yet.” As soon as she turned on the engine, the puppies started to squeak and tremble in fear.
Lisa cradled them in her arms and held them close to her chest. “Shhh… It’s going to be okay. I’ll take care of you, don’t you worry.” She felt another warm, wet stain spread across her belly this time. “Fuck.”
“What? Again?” Stella asked as she drove off.
“Uh-huh.” Lisa carefully turned the jumper so the puppies would have something dry to lie on. “I think I might need a change of clothes before we get to your parents.”
52
“We’re here. Are you ready?”
“No,” Lisa joked, eyeing the charming little street that wasn’t far from the old city centre they’d driven through.
“Don’t worry, babe. It will be fine.” Stella parked along the road in front of the deli and spotting her car, her mother immediately came running out. The puppies had been a welcome distraction to stop her from worrying, but now she suddenly felt nervous.
“Madre!” She fell into her mother’s embrace and then her father’s, who followed only seconds later. “This is Lisa,” she said, stepping away from them and taking Lisa’s hand. “Lisa is from the UK so we’ll have to speak English while she’s here.” As she uttered the words, they sounded strange coming from her lips. She’d never spoken English with her parents before and her mother grinned, clearly feeling the same awkwardness. “Lisa, this is my mother, María, and my father, Antonio.”
“Of course, we’ll speak English. We’ll try our best, anyway. It’s so nice to meet you, Lisa.” María kissed Lisa on both cheeks and only then spotted what was in the basket she was holding. After the vet, they’d stopped off to buy something the puppies could sleep in, and after dozing off for a good hour, they were now curiously peering over the edge. “Madre de Dios. I hope that’s not a gift.” She leaned in to stroke them and cooed something in Spanish when the girl licked her finger.
“No,” Lisa said with a chuckle, then greeted Stella’s father. “I mean, you can have them if you want; we found them on our way here.” She smiled widely and looked from Stella’s mother to her father and back. “It’s so lovely to meet you too. I’ve really been looking forward to it.”
Stella noted her mother looked ecstatic today, as if her angelic girlfriend showing up with two tiny puppies was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
“Well, let’s get these two inside so they’re nice and cool.” María took the basket from Lisa and studied them. “They’re beautiful. I think they’re a Labrador mix; they might grow quite big.”
“That’s what the vet thought too,” Lisa said, following her into the deli. “The golden one is a boy, he’s called Butters. The darker, chubbier one is a girl, and her name is Meatball.”
María laughed. “You’ve given them names already? Oh my, you know what happens when you give puppies names…”
“We had a couple of hours to kill in the car, so it was hard not to.” Stella loved the smell of the deli as she maneuvered through the narrow isle. The concoction of roasted garlic, stewed pork cheek and fresh herbs reminded her of her childhood. Nothing ever changed here; the old, rickety metal shelves that regularly fell over when kids ran into them, the worn-out terracotta tiled floor, the noisy freezers against the back wall, the deli counter filled with homemade dishes, cheeses and cured hams, and the TV that was mounted on the wall behind the counter so her mother wouldn’t have to miss her favourite soap operas. She’d always thought it could do with an overhaul, but as the deli had been featured in numerous travel magazines and blogs—Condé Nast had referred to it as ‘a refreshingly authentic deli serving moreish and delicious local delicacies’—and was popular with both locals and tourists, her parents didn’t see the point of changing anything.
“What happens when you give puppies names?” Lisa asked, glancing at Stella over her shoulder.
Stella shot her a grin and pinched her behind. “You end up keeping them.”
The narrow staircase in the back of the deli creaked as they went up to the flat and when they entered the living room, she noted the normally messy space was spotless. So was the kitchen, where her mother put the basket on the floor and filled a water bowl for the puppies. Even the kitchen table, that normally served as a desk and tended to be buried under paperwork, was free of clutter and there were no dishes in the sink. With her parents working long hours in the deli, the state of their flat was the last thing on their mind, but her mother had clearly prepared for Lisa’s arrival.
They fussed over the furballs, who’d had their flea treatment after the vet had cleaned them up. At approximately eight weeks old, they were too young for their jabs, so they would have to take care of that later, but otherwise—although Butters could do with fattening up a little—they’d been assured they were both healthy.
“I have food for them,” Stella said, taking the box she’d bought from the vet from her overnight bag. The puppies stayed in the basket, too scared to venture out, but Butters wasn’t as shifty as he’d been a few hours ago.
“Let’s put the food on the floor for them and leave them in peace for a while so they can get used to the space.” María tutted as she stared at them lovingly, and Stella was hoping she might want to keep them. “Your father will be up later. He’s minding the shop, so let’s have a drink and a snack on the roof until he closes.” She turned to Lisa. “I’m sure you’re both tired after the long drive.”
“Thank you, that sounds lovely.” Lisa kneeled and kissed both puppies on their heads. “Don’t be scared, okay? I’ll be back.”
“Oh boy, I foresee trouble here.” Stella shot her a grin as she took the tray her mother gave her to carry up to the roof.
“Trouble?”
“Yeah. You’re totally melting; you won’t be able to give them away.”
“So were you while I was driving,” Lisa shot back at her. “You were telling them whole stories in Spanish in that cute, whispering tone. And need I remind you thatyouwere the one who insisted on naming them?”
